P0720 A fault in the output speed sensor circuit
30 owner reports and 1 manufacturer filing across 7 model years from Ford, Infiniti, Nissan.
Where P0720 shows up
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints| Model year | Filed under | Bulletins | Owner reports | Parts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Ford F-150 | Power Train | — | 16 | |
| 2017 Ford F-150 | Power Train | — | 9 | |
| 2017 Ford Expedition | Power Train | — | 2 | |
| 2016 Ford Mustang | Electrical System | 1 | — | Battery → |
| 2016 Infiniti Q50 | Vehicle Speed Control | — | 1 | |
| 2016 Infiniti QX50 | Engine | — | 1 | |
| 2017 Nissan Titan | Power Train | — | 1 |
A model year appears here because the code is named in its record, not because every one of these vehicles sets it. Counts are mentions in the federal files, not failure rates — nobody publishes the denominator.
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What it gets filed under
What owners said
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners’ own words, one per nameplate, scrubbed of anything identifying. These are unverified reports filed with NHTSA — they are what was said, not a finding that it was true.
On XXX, an authorized Ford dealership retrieved diagnostic trouble codes P0720 and P0722, confirming hardware component failure
Car went into limp mode on the highway and would not exceed 40 mph where the speeds were around 70 putting me at risk with a code of P0720 which usually points to a valve body or transmission
There are 2 check engine codes that came up as an issue for my vehicle, out of the blue: P0720 and P0500
1 manufacturer filing name P0720. Start with what the maker wrote down.
A code names the test that failed, not the part. A bulletin that names it is often a diagnosis someone has already written down — quote its number at the service desk.
Manufacturer filings that name it
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsService bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names P0720.
- TSB-16-0085 Service bulletin2016-05-24 · Electrical System
- SOME 2015 AND 2016 MUSTANG VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 5.2L TWIN INDEPENDENT VARIABLE CAMSHAFT TIMING (TI-VCT) ENGINE AND BUILT ON OR BEFORE 2/26/2016 MAY EXHIBIT AN INTERMITTENT ILLUMINATED MIL WITH DTCS P0720 AND P0722 PRESENT.
What P0720 means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIA fault in the output speed sensor circuit.
A stored code names the test that failed, never the part that caused it. It is the starting point of a diagnosis, not its conclusion — the same code has several possible causes and the cheap one is not always right.
Common questions about P0720
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardCan I keep driving with P0720 stored?
Nobody can answer that from the code alone, and a site that does is guessing. A steady light means a fault was logged and the car should be checked soon; a flashing light means a severe misfire — slow down and get it seen as soon as possible, because severe misfire can quickly damage the catalytic converter. The safe read of this page is the mileage and the components, not permission.
Does a code mean the car is recalled?
No. Recalls are filed by campaign and matched by VIN, and none of them are triggered by a scan tool. If you want to know whether an open recall applies to one specific vehicle, check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — that is the only source that settles it.
Why do the counts here differ from other sites?
Because these are not estimates. Every number on this page is a count of documents in NHTSA's own files: manufacturer communications that name the code in their filed summary, and owner complaints that name it in the narrative. We do not model, weight or extrapolate them.
Will clearing the code fix it?
Clearing turns the light off and erases the freeze-frame data a technician would have used to work out what happened. If the condition is still there the code returns, usually within a few drive cycles, and the diagnosis now starts from less information than before.